A senior Hamas official suggested the terror group could recognize the State of Israel in order to end the current war between Israel and the Gaza-based group.
Mousa Abu Marzouk stated, in an interview with the news website Al-Monitor from his office in the Qatari capital, Doha: “You should follow the official stance. The official stance is that the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] has recognized the State of Israel.”
Marzouk also added that "Israelis deserve rights, but not at the expense of others."
Hamas has come under pressure on both the international stage and within the Arab world for the conflict it caused when thousands of Hamas terrorists and their supporters crossed the border into Israel on the morning of October 7, slaughtering 1,200 people and kidnapping over 240 others to Gaza.
Hamas chief claims open to ending war
The interview came just before Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised address on Wednesday that any arrangement in Gaza without Hamas is a "delusion.""We are open to discussing any ideas or initiatives that could end the [Israeli] aggression and open the door for putting the Palestinian house in order both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," Haniyeh said.
The PLO recognized Israel as part of the 1993 Oslo Accords, but Hamas has refused to recognize the Jewish state. Just a few years ago, it released an updated policy document with amended political rhetoric, although the terror group still views the destruction of Israel as one of its major objectives.
Since Israel responded to Hamas's attacks on October 7, some 445 Israeli soldiers have died in the conflict, and thousands of Gazans have been killed. However, a recent poll of Palestinians found that Hamas has gained significant support for its October 7 attacks.The poll found that there were "significant differences" between the attitudes of West Bank residents and Gaza residents. In the West Bank, some 82% believe that Hamas's decision to launch the attack was correct, and only 12% said it was incorrect, while in Gaza, some 57% said it was correct, and 37% incorrect.